Door cover assemblies used to cover the controls on electronic devices have become popular in recent years. Increasingly seen on video cameras, stereo equipment and personal electronic devices, the door covers serve to protect electronic controls from accidental engagement, and also often serve to provide a smaller and more attractive electronic device package. For similar reasons, this concept has been gaining popularity in the design of hand-held communication devices. Existing applications include cordless telephones and portable cellular radio telephones which use a folding arrangement allowing these devices to be more compact. In some of these devices, the door cover "flips" open to activate the device, and also functions as a mouthpiece for the user. Other functionality can be built into the door cover ("flip door").
In one typical design, the flip door is attached to the main housing of a hand-held communication device using a hinge mechanism attached to the body of the main housing. The flip door is repeatedly opened and closed during normal use, and hence over time, the resultant stress on the hinge can lead to failure of the hinge mechanism. Additionally, a large force exerted on the flip door may cause damage to the hinge mechanism, and possibly to the main housing. For assemblies using the typical design, the device must be at least partially disassembled to repair or replace the damaged door cover assembly. If the device housing is damaged, a more extensive, and usually more expensive, operation will be needed to repair the device. The difficulty and cost of repairs, and the potential damage to the device housing when excess force is applied to the door cover, are all deficiencies which exist with present door cover assembly designs.
Another deficiency with current door cover assembly designs is the number of factory operations or steps required to complete the assembly. Reducing the number of assembly steps and minimizing the number of parts used are important contributions to reducing costs and increasing efficiencies of most manufacturing operations. Assemblies which achieve these objectives are in constant demand in the art.
Therefore, a new door cover assembly is required which is simpler to assemble, easier to repair or replace, and which aids in protecting the device housing to which it is attached.